Flexible hose construction and method of making the same

ABSTRACT

A flexible hose construction and method of making the same are provided, the flexible hose construction comprising an inner tube made of polymeric material, an outer sleeve of reinforcing material disposed in telescoping relation on the inner tube from one end thereof to the other end thereof, rib structure disposed between the sleeve of reinforcing material and the inner tube, the rib structure being disposed on the inner tube so as to define alternating coil structure of rib structure and coil structure of non-rib structure serially along the longitudinal axis of the inner tube in a like repeating pattern thereof, the coil structure of non-rib structure comprise coil structure of void space, and an outer tube of polymeric material disposed between the rib structure and the sleeve of reinforcing material so as to extend in a generally straight-line manner from coil structure of the rib structure to coil structure of the rib structure so as to tend to prevent the sleeve of reinforcing material from entering into the coil structure of void space an amount that would tend to substantially reduce the flexibility characteristics of the hose construction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a is a divisional patent application of itscopending parent application Ser. No. 09/087,317, filed May 29, 1998;which in turn, is a divisional patent application of its parentapplication, Ser. No. 08/551,388, filed Nov. 1, 1995 (now abandoned);which in turn, is a divisional application of Ser. No. 326,631, filedOct. 20, 1994 (now abandoned); which in turn is a divisional applicationof its parent patent application Ser. No. 149,584, filed Nov. 9, 1993,now U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,904; which in turn, is a divisional patentapplication of its parent patent application, Ser. No. 869,696, filedApr. 16, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,332; which in turn, is adivisional patent application of its copending parent patent applicationSer. No. 575,731, filed Aug. 31, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,428;which in turn continuation-in-part patent application of its copendingparent patent application, Ser. No. 405,487, filed Sep. 11, 1989, nowU.S. Pat. No. 5,089,074.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a new flexible hose construction and to a newmethod of making such a flexible hose construction.

2. Prior Art Statement

It is known to provide a flexible hose construction comprising an innercorrugated hose made of polymeric material and having a plurality ofoutwardly convex projections with recesses therebetween and extendingfrom one end thereof to the other end thereof, and an outer sleeve ofreinforcing material disposed in telescoping relation on the inner hose.For example, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,389 to Medford et al.

It is also known to dispose a tube of polymeric material inside acorrugated hose and have its outer peripheral surface engaging theinwardly facing convex projections thereof in a generally straight-linemanner from one end of the corrugated hose to the other end thereof. Forexample, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,383 to Kleykamp.

It is also known to provide a flexible hose construction comprising aninner tube made of polymeric material, an outer sleeve of reinforcingmaterial disposed in telescoping relation on the inner tube from one endthereof, rib disposed between the sleeve of reinforcing material and theinner tube, the rib being disposed on the inner tube so as to definealternating coil of rib and coil of non-rib serially along thelongitudinal axis of the inner tube in a like repeating pattern thereof.For example, see the U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,712 to Oglesby et al.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one feature of this invention to provide a new flexible hoseconstruction wherein the flexibility characteristics of an innercorrugated hose thereof are not substantially diminished by having anouter sleeve of reinforcing material extend into the outwardly facingrecesses defined by the corrugations of the inner hose an amount thatwould diminish such flexibility characteristics.

In particular, it was found according to the teachings of this inventionthat a tube of polymeric material can be disposed between the sleeve ofreinforcing material and the inner hose and have its inner peripheralsurface engaging the outwardly facing convex projections from the oneend to the other end of the inner hose so as to tend to prevent thesleeve of reinforcing material from entering into the outwardly facingrecesses of the inner hose an amount that would tend to substantiallyreduce the flexibility characteristics of the corrugated inner hose.

In this manner, it was found according to the teachings of thisinvention, that the inner corrugated hose could be formed of athermoplastic material that readily permits the flexible hoseconstruction to be utilized for conveying a volatile liquidtherethrough, such as gasoline for transportation vehicles and the like,and still permit the hose construction to be sufficiently flexible andlightweight so that the same can be readily bent into the desired shapethereof for its intended conveying purpose.

For example, one embodiment of this invention provides a flexible hoseconstruction comprising an inner corrugated hose made of polymericmaterial and having a plurality of outwardly convex projections withrecesses therebetween and extending from one end thereof to the otherend thereof, an outer sleeve of reinforcing material disposed intelescoping relation on the inner hose, and a tube of polymeric materialdisposed between the sleeve of reinforcing material and the inner hoseand extending in a generally straight-line manner from projection toprojection of the inner hose so as to tend to prevent the sleeve ofreinforcing material from entering into the recesses of the inner hosean amount that would tend to substantially reduce the flexibilitycharacteristics of the inner hose.

However, it is believed according to the teachings of this inventionthat a second tube of polymeric material can be disposed inside theinner hose and have its outer peripheral surface engaging the inwardlyfacing convex projections of the inner hose in a generally straight-linemanner from the one end of the inner hose to the other end thereof.

In this manner, it is believed that the second tube could be formed of athermoplastic material that readily permits the flexible hoseconstruction to be utilized for conveying a volatile liquidtherethrough, such as gasoline for transportation vehicles and the like,and still permit the hose construction to be sufficiently flexible andlightweight so that the same can be readily bent into the desired shapethereof for its intended conveying purpose.

For example, another embodiment of this invention provides a flexiblehose construction comprising an inner corrugated hose made of polymericmaterial and having a plurality of outwardly facing convex projectionswith outwardly facing recesses therebetween and extending from one oneend thereof to the other end thereof, the inner hose having a pluralityof inwardly facing convex projections with inwardly facing recessestherebetween and extending from the one end thereof to the other endthereof, an outer sleeve of reinforcing material disposed in telescopingrelation on the inner hose, a first tube of polymeric material disposedbetween the sleeve of reinforcing material and the inner hose and havingan inner peripheral surface engaging the outwardly facing convexprojections in a generally straight-line manner from the one end thereofto the other end thereof so as to tend to prevent the sleeve ofreinforcing material from entering into the outwardly facing recesses ofthe inner hose an amount that would tend to substantially reduce theflexibility characteristics of the inner hose, and a second tube ofpolymeric material disposed inside the inner hose and having an outerperipheral surface engaging the inwardly facing convex projections in agenerally straight-line manner from the one end thereof to the other endthereof.

However, it is believed according to the teachings of this inventionthat the inner corrugated hose of each hose construction of thisinvention can be replaced with a rib and an inner tube of polymericmaterial and with the rib being disposed on the inner tube in such amanner that the rib defines alternating coil of rib and coil of non-ribserially along the longitudinal axis of the inner tube in a likerepeating pattern thereof.

In this manner, the other or outer tube of polymeric material can stillbe disposed between the rib and the sleeve of reinforcing material so asto tend to prevent the sleeve of reinforcing material from entering intothe void space between the coils of rib an amount that would tend tosubstantially reduce the flexibility characteristics of the hoseconstruction.

For example, another embodiment of this invention provides a flexiblehose construction comprising an inner tube made of polymeric material,an outer sleeve of reinforcing material disposed in telescoping relationon the inner tube from one end thereof to the other end thereof, ribdisposed between the sleeve of reinforcing material and the inner tube,the rib being disposed on the inner tube so as to define alternatingmeans coil of rib and coil of non-rib serially along the longitudinalaxis of the inner tube in a like repeating pattern thereof, the coil ofnon-rib comprising coil of void space and an outer tube of polymericmaterial disposed between the rib and the sleeve of reinforcing materialso as to extend in a generally straight-line manner from coil of the ribto coil of the rib so as to tend to prevent the sleeve of reinforcingmaterial from entering into the coil of void space an amount that wouldtend to substantially reduce the flexibility characteristics of the hoseconstruction. In such an arrangement, the ribs are disposed between theinner tube and the outer tube, and can be bonded to either one, and theribs may be annular and longitudinally spaced along the tubes. It isalso contemplated to wind a strip of polymeric material in a helicalmanner to comprise the rib. A continuous path may also be formed betweenthe rib and the outer tube to permit fluids to flow in this passage.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new flexiblehose construction having one or more of the novel features of thisinvention as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new method of makingsuch a flexible hose construction, the method of this invention havingone or more of the novel features of this invention as set forth aboveor hereinafter shown or described.

Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from areading of this description which proceeds with references to theaccompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view, partially in cross section,and illustrating the new flexible hose construction of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view, partially in cross section,and illustrating the inner corrugated hose of the hose construction ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates the inner corrugatedhose of FIG. 2 having a unique tube of polymeric material disposedthereon according to the method of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 and illustrates how a sleeve ofreinforcing material is disposed on top of the tube of polymericmaterial that has been placed on the inner corrugated hose asillustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 and illustrates how an outerpolymeric layer is disposed over the reinforcing sleeve of FIG. 4 tocomplete the hose construction that is illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates anotherembodiment of the inner corrugated hose.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 1 andillustrates how a tube of polymeric material and a reinforcing sleevecan be disposed in series on the corrugated hose of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 and illustrates a completed hoseconstruction of this invention made from the structure of FIG. 7 byhaving an outer polymeric layer disposed over the reinforcing layer ofthe structure of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of another innerhose of this invention for the hose constructions of this invention.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 10 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line11--11 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 10 and illustrates another hoseconstruction of this invention.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line13--13 of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 14 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line15--15 of FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a view similar to FIG. 14 and illustrates another hoseconstruction of this invention.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line17--17 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 18 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line19--19 of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 18 and illustrates another hoseconstruction of this invention.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line21--21 of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 22 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line23--23 of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 is a view similar to FIG. 22 and illustrates another hoseconstruction of this invention.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line25--25 of FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 26 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 27 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line27--27 of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a view similar to FIG. 26 and illustrates another hoseconstruction of this invention.

FIG. 29 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line29--29 of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 30 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line31--31 of FIG. 30.

FIG. 32 is a view similar to FIG. 30 and illustrates another hoseconstruction of this invention.

FIG. 33 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line33--33 of FIG. 32.

FIG. 34 is a view similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates another new hoseconstruction of this invention, FIG. 34 illustrating certain parts ofthe hose construction broken away.

FIG. 35 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line35--35 of FIG. 34.

FIG. 36 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of another innertube of this invention for forming the various hose constructions ofthis invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the various features of this invention are hereinafter illustratedand described as being particularly adapted to provide a flexible hoseconstruction for conveying gasoline and like volatile liquidtherethrough, it is to be understood that the various features of thisinvention can be utilized singly or in various combinations thereof toprovide a flexible hose construction for conveying any other fluidtherethrough for other types of apparatus as desired.

Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings, because the drawings are merely utilized toillustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention.

As previously stated, it is one feature of this invention to dispose asecond tube of polymeric material inside an inner corrugated tube ofeach of the hose constructions set forth in the aforementioned copendingparent patent application, Ser. No. 405,487, filed Sep. 11, 1989, suchas tube 100 of FIGS. 10 and 11 and tube 100D of FIGS. 12 and 13.

It is also a feature of this invention to replace the inner corrugatedhose of each hose construction of this invention as set forth in theaforementioned copending parent patent application, Ser. No. 405,487,filed Sep. 11, 1989, as well as in FIGS. 10-13, with rib and an innertube of polymeric material, such as the rib 200 and inner tube 100E ofFIGS. 14 and 15.

Therefore, it is believed that it would be best to first fully set forththe structures and methods of such copending parent patent applicationbefore describing the hose constructions of this invention that aregenerally indicated by the reference numerals 20E, 20F, 20G, 20H, 20I,20J, 20K, 20L, 20M, 20N and 20P in FIGS. 12-35 while the hoseconstructions of such copending parent patent application areillustrated in FIGS. 1-9.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the new flexible hose construction of thisinvention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 20 andcomprises an inner corrugated hose 21 formed of any suitable polymericmaterial and having a plurality of outwardly convex projections 22 withrecesses 23 therebetween and extending from one end 24 to the other end25 thereof, a tube 26 of any suitable polymeric material extending in agenerally straight-line manner from projection 22 to projection 22 asillustrated in FIG. 3, an outer sleeve 27 of reinforcing materialdisposed in telescoping relation on the tube 26, and an outer layer 28of any suitable polymeric material that will provide a protection forthe sleeve 27 of reinforcing material and also to tend to prevent anyliquid that is conveyed through the flexible hose construction 20 frompermeating to the exterior thereof, such as gasoline and the like.

As previously stated, it was found according to the teachings of thisinvention that the hose construction 20 can be relatively flexiblebecause of the corrugated inner hose 21 thereof.

However, it was further found according to the teachings of thisinvention that the flexibility characteristics of such a hoseconstruction 20 is diminished if a sufficient amount of the reinforcingmeans 27 is received in the recesses 23 of the inner hose 21 to resistthe bending thereof.

Therefore, it was further found according to the teachings of thisinvention that by providing the tube 26 of polymeric material on theinner hose 21 before disposing the reinforcing sleeve 27 thereon withthe tube 26 being so constructed and arranged that the same extendssubstantially from the apex 29 of one projection 22 to the next apex 29of the next adjacent projection 22 in a substantially straight-linemanner illustrated in FIG. 3, the tube 26 will substantially resist thepenetration of the reinforcing layer 27 into the recesses 23 of theinner hose 21 to any great degree even though the reinforcing layer 27is being forced radially inwardly either through the normal effect ofapplying the same onto the inner hose 21 and/or by the force of theouter cover 28 being applied over the reinforcing means 27 in aconventional hose forming manner, such slight penetration of thereinforcing 27 being illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, whereby it can beseen that the recesses 23 remain substantially void of the reinforcing27 so as to retain the desired flexibility characteristics of the innerhose 21.

While the inner hose 21 of the hose construction 20 of this inventioncan be formed of any suitable material and in any suitable manner, oneworking embodiment thereof comprises thermoplastic material that is blowmolded in a conventional manner into the configuration illustrated inFIG. 2 wherein the convolutions or projections 22 thereof are annularand are uniformly spaced from each other throughout the length of thehose 21 or can be disposed in a helical manner throughout the length ofthe hose as represented by the projections 22A illustrated in FIG. 6wherein another inner hose of this invention is indicated by thereference numeral 21A and parts thereof similar to the inner hose 21previously described are indicated by like reference numerals followedby the reference letter "A". The inner hose 21A is made in aconventional manner by spirally wrapping a strip 30 that has theprojections 22A and recesses 23A formed therein in any suitable mannerand forming a helically disposed seam 31 throughout the length of theinner hose 21A.

One problem with thermoplastic hoses currently being made is thestiffness thereof when compared to elastomeric rubber hoses of the sameinner and outer dimensions. The stiffness of the prior knownthermoplastic hoses is due to the rigidity of the plastic material.However, by using a convoluted or corrugated inner tube, the flexibilityof the thermoplastic hose can be made greater than a rubber hose of thesame size. The convolutions can be annular in nature and their geometrycan be dependent upon the size of the hose to be produced.

A thermoplastic hose with a corrugated inner tube also has otheradvantages over conventional rubber hoses.

In particular, a plastic hose construction built with a convoluted innercorrugated hose has better kink resistance and a smaller bend radiusthan a rubber hose of the same size.

These properties are a result of the annular rings that form theconvoluted tube. These annular rings provide hoop strength that resultsin superior kink resistance and smaller bend radius compared to smoothinner tube hoses.

Also, a corrugated inner hose of plastic material is lighter in weightper foot than a rubber hose. To reduce kinking and bend radius,conventional rubber hoses rely on thick hose walls and/or a helix wire.In contrast, the corrugated plastic hose 21 of this invention providesan excellent kink resistance so that a lightweight, thin wall hoseconstruction 20 can be built without compromising kink resistance orbend radius.

The long-term resistance of plastic materials to degradation and wear isgreater than that of rubber materials. For example, a large number ofplastic materials are available with much better resistance tohydrocarbon-based liquids, such as gasoline, than standard rubbercompounds. Certain thermoplastics offer greater ozone, abrasion and UVresistance than rubber compounds. Thermoplastics are also more easilycolored and are more colorfast.

Therefore, the thermoplastic material of the inner hose 21 of thisinvention is chosen based on the chemical and thermal resistancerequirements of the application of the hose construction 20 and based ona means to bond the corrugated inner hose 21 to the subsequentlydisposed layers thereon.

Thus, the inner hose 21 can comprise a single layer of a homogeneousthermoplastic material as illustrated in FIGS. 2-6 or the same cancomprise an inner layer 21' of one type of thermoplastic material and anouter layer 21" of another type of thermoplastic material as providedfor the inner hose 21B illustrated in FIG. 9 as it is well known thattwo plastic materials can be extruded together to form a tubular memberhaving one material forming the outer surface thereof and the othermaterial forming the inner surface thereof and thereafter such tubularmember can be blow molded to form the same into a corrugated tubularmember.

In any event, the tube 26 of polymeric material can be applied over theinner hose 21 either as a continuous tube by conventional extrudingapparatus whereby the exuding tube 26 bonds by the nature thereof to theapexes 29 of the projections 22 in the substantially straight-linemanner illustrated in FIG. 3 or the tube 26 could be disposed in aspiral manner as illustrated in FIG. 7 and comprise a strip 32 ofpolymeric material that is helically wound onto the inner tube 21A asillustrated in FIG. 7. However, it is to be understood that the innertube 21A illustrated in FIG. 7 could be the inner tube 21 of FIG. 2 orthe inner tube 21B of FIG. 9 rather than a tube wherein the projectionsare disposed in a helical manner, as desired.

In any event, it can be seen that the tube 26 provides a smooth surfaceover the convolutions 22 and provides a consistent base for receivingthe reinforcement 27 thereon. The material of the tube 26 can be chosenso that it will adhere to the outer surface of the apexes 29 of theinner tube 21 so that the layer 26 does not fill the recesses 23 of theinner tube 21 and is applied in a manner to just cover the convolutions22 in substantially the straight-line manner illustrated in FIG. 3because, as previously stated, if the layer 26 were to fill the recesses23, not only would the tube 26 then reduce the flexilibity of the innerhose 21, but also the same would then allow the reinforcement 27 toenter those recesses 23 to further reduce the flexibility of the innerhose 21.

After the outer tube 26 has been applied in place in the mannerpreviously set forth, the reinforcement sleeve 27 of either a braidedtextile material or a metal wire material that is wound in alternatingdirections is disposed over the tube 26 and the amount of reinforcementprovided is dependent upon the working pressure requirements of the hoseconstruction 20.

For example, the reinforcement sleeve 27 is illustrated as a braidedmaterial in FIG. 4 and thereby comprising a seamless sleeve of suchmaterial whereas the reinforcement 27A of FIG. 7 is illustrated as twolayers of helically wound wire material disposed in opposite directionson the tube 26A.

In any event, it can readily be seen in FIG. 4 that the reinforcementsleeve 27 does not enter the recesses 23 of the inner hose 21 to anysubstantial amount because the tube 26 prevents the same from beingforced into the recesses 23 as the reinforcement sleeve 27 is beingapplied to the desired thickness on the inner tube 21.

Thereafter, the outer layer 28 of any suitable polymeric material isapplied over the reinforcement 27 such as by being extruded as acontinuous tube thereof by conventional extruding apparatus to completethe hose construction 20 or by being applied in a helically wound formthereof from a strip 33 of such outer material in the manner illustratedin FIG. 8 to complete the hose construction 20A.

In any event, the outer layer 28 provides protection for thereinforcement 27 and can readily bond to the inner tube 26 by exudingthrough the reinforcement 27 in a manner well known in the art and asillustrated in FIG. 5 so as to hold all of the layers of the hoseconstruction 20 in a bonded condition thereof, if desired.

The material of the outer layer 28 not only protects the reinforcement27 from physical or chemical damage, but also the cover layer 28 ischosen with consideration to the environment and bondability to theother layers of the hose construction 20. In addition, the material 28can be chosen so as to tend to prevent the liquid flowing through thehose construction 20 from permeating through the hose construction 20 tothe exterior thereof.

As previously stated, the materials of the hose construction 20 of thisinvention can be any suitable materials that function in the mannerpreviously set forth.

Therefore, the following example of one working embodiment of the hoseconstruction 20 of this invention is not to be a limitation on thisinvention and is merely being given as one working example thereof.

In the one working embodiment of this invention, the inner hose isformed in the manner of FIG. 9 with the inner layer 21' comprising athermoplastic material sold by DuPont as Zytel ST811HS and with theouter layer 21" thereof comprising a thermoplastic material sold by theB.F. Goodrich Company as ESTANE 5710F1. Such material is blow molded toform the hose 21B with an inside diameter of approximately 1.500 of aninch and with the distance between the apexes 29B of the projections 22Bbeing approximately 0.246 of an inch. The thickness of the innerportions 34 of the hose 21B is approximately 0.045 of an inch while thesidewalls 35 between the portion 34 and the apexes 29B are actuallydisposed at an angle relative to each other rather than being parallelto each other as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, such angle of eachsidewall 35 being approximately 10° to a true transverse line passingthrough the inner hose 21B .

The tube 26 in such working embodiment of the hose construction 20 ofthis invention also comprises the thermoplastic material ESTANE 5710F1and is approximately 0.040 of an inch thick while the reinforcement 27comprises a polyester yarn formed on a thirty-six carrier braidingmachine with two ends per carrier and the outer layer 28 comprises thethermoplastic material ESTANE 5710F1 and is approximately 0.060 of aninch thick.

In this manner, the thermoplastic material of the cover 28 readily bondsto the tube 26 and the thermoplastic material of the tube 26 readilybonds to the outer layer 21" of the inner tube 21B.

Therefore, it can be seen that the resulting hose construction 20 or 20Aof this invention is readily adapted to be utilized for conveying anydesired fluid therethrough, such as a volatile liquid, and will permitthe hose construction 20 or 20A to be disposed in a bent configurationfor such purpose as desired.

As previously stated, it is believed according to the teachings of thisinvention that a second tube of any suitable polymeric material can bedisposed inside any of the hose constructions 20, 20A, etc., previouslydescribed and still permit the resulting hose construction to berelatively flexible for its intended purpose while such second tube ofpolymeric material will provide for a smooth flow of fluid therethroughas well as provide a layer of material inside the hose construction thatis more likely to resist any adverse reactions from the type of fluidbeing conveyed through such a hose construction.

In particular, another new hose construction of this invention isgenerally indicated by the reference numeral 20C in FIGS. 10 and 11 andparts thereof similar to the hose construction 20 and 20A previously setforth are indicated by like reference numerals followed by the referenceletter "C".

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, it can be seen that the innercorrugated tube 21C of the hose construction 20C has the outwardlyfacing convex projections 22C and outwardly facing recesses 23Ctherebetween, such outwardly facing projections 22C defining inwardlyfacing recesses 23'C and such outwardly facing recesses 23C defininginwardly facing convex projections 22'C as illustrated in FIG. 11.

The hose construction 20C has the first tube of polymeric material 26Cbonded or otherwise secured to the apexes 29C of the outwardly facingprojections 22C in the manner previously set forth together with thereinforcement layer 27C and the outer cover material 28C respectivelydisposed thereon in the manner previously set forth.

However, before the inner corrugated hose 21C is formed, the second tube100 is first formed in any suitable manner so as to have a smoothexternal peripheral surface 101 and a substantially smooth innerperipheral surface 102 while being formed of any suitable polymericmaterial. Thereafter, the inner corrugated tube 21C is blow molded ontothe tube 100 in such a manner that the inwardly facing projections 22'Cof the forming hose 21C engage against the external peripheral surface101 of the tube 100 and, in fact, bond thereto by the nature of thematerial thereof so that the outer peripheral surface 101 of the secondtube 100 engages the inwardly facing convex projections 22'C at theapexes 29'C thereof in a generally straight-line manner from one end 24Cto the other end 25C of the hose construction 20C. Thereafter, the tube26C, reinforcement sleeve 27C and cover 28C are serially disposed on theinner corrugated hose 21C in the manner previously set forth to completethe hose construction 20C of this invention.

While the hose construction 20C of this invention has been previouslydescribed as first forming the inner tube 100 before the corrugated hose21C is formed thereon, it is to be understood that the hose 21C could beformed first with the inner tube 100 being subsequently formed therein,the hose 21C and the inner tube 100 could be separately formed and thenbe assembled together, or the inner hose 100 and corrugated hose 21Ccould be substantially simultaneously formed together in substantiallythe same manner as set forth in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No.4,312,383 to Kleykamp. Whereby this patent is being incorporated intothis disclosure by this reference thereto.

In any event, it is believed that the tube 100 will not diminish theflexibility characteristics of the hose construction 20C to any greatamount so that the hose construction 20C can be utilized in any of themanners as the hose constructions 20 and 20A previously described or forother purposes as desired.

In fact, should the inner hose 21C be formed in the manner illustratedin FIG. 9 wherein an outer layer of material 21" and an inner layer 21'is provided, it is believed that such inner layer 21' could be selectedso as to be readily bondable and/or compatible with the material of thetube 100 of this invention so that the tube 100 could be of a materialother than the material that forms the outer tube 26C as desired.

Further, while the inner tube 21C is illustrated as having theprojections 22C and 22'C thereof each being annular so as to be disposedsubstantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the hoseconstruction 20C, it is to be understood that the inner hose could havethe projections thereof disposed in helical paths, if desired, in thesame manner as provided by the strip 30 of FIG. 6 whereby another hoseconstruction of this invention is generally indicated by the referencenumeral 20D in FIGS. 12 and 13 and parts thereof similar to the parts ofthe hose construction 20, 20A and 20C previously described are indicatedby like reference numerals followed by the reference letter "D".

As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the hose construction 20D issubstantially the same as the hose construction 20C previously set forthexcept that the outwardly facing projections 22D, outwardly facingrecesses 23D, inwardly facing projections 22'D and inwardly facingrecesses 23'D are all disposed in helical paths from the one end 24D ofthe hose construction 20D to the other end 25D thereof as illustrated inFIG. 13 while the various parts of the hose construction 20D are formedin the same manner as the hose construction 20C previously set forth.

Thus, it can be seen that the inner hose 21D of the hose construction20D can be formed as a helical strip 30D and be helically disposed onthe inner tube 100D to form the seam 31D as previously set forth in FIG.6 while the inwardly facing projections 21'D are disposed in engagementwith the external peripheral surface 101D of the inner tube 100D and bebonded thereto as previously set forth.

When the apexes 29'D of the inner tube 21D are bonded to the externalperipheral surface 101D of the inner tube 100D, and the strip 30D of thetube 21D has the seams 31D thereof sealed together in any suitablemanner, it can be seen that one helically disposed passage 103 is formedbetween the outwardly facing recesses 23D of the inner tube 21D and theouter tube 26D while another helically disposed passage 104 is definedbetween the inwardly facing recesses 23'D and the inner tube 100Dwhereby the passages 103 and 104 can be utilized for any desiredpurpose, such as for leak detection purposes, conveying like ordifferent fluids from one end 24D to the other end 25D of the hoseconstruction 20D, etc.

In any event, it can be seen that the hose construction 20C or 20D ofthis invention can be formed in a relatively simple manner by themethods of this invention to provide a hose construction for conveyingvolatile fluids through the inner tube 100 or 100D thereof for the samereason as the hose constructions 20 and 20A as previously described.

As previously stated, it is also a feature of this invention to replacethe inner corrugated hose of each hose construction of this inventionwith a rib and an inner tube of polymeric material, such arrangementsbeing illustrated in FIGS. 14-35 and will now be described.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15, another hose construction of thisinvention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 20E and partsthereof similar to the hose constructions 20, 20A, 20B, 20C and 20Dpreviously described are indicated by like reference numerals followedby the reference letter "E".

As illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15, it can be seen that the hoseconstruction 20E comprises an inner tube 100E formed of any suitablepolymeric material and having a substantially smooth external peripheralsurface 101E and a substantially smooth internal peripheral surface 102Ein a manner similar to the inner tubes 100 and 100D previously setforth.

However, the hose construction 20E does not have the inner corrugatedhose 21C or 21D previously set forth but in place thereof has rib 200disposed between the inner tube 100E and the outer tube 26E of polymericmaterial that is disposed intermediate the rib 200 and the sleeve 27E ofreinforcing material that is subsequently covered by the outer sleeve orlayer 28E of polymeric material in any of the manners previously setforth.

The rib 200 is disposed on the inner tube 100E so as to definealternating coil 201 of rib 200 and coil of non-rib serially along thelongitudinal axis 100E, FIG. 14, of the inner tube 100E in a likerepeating pattern thereof whereby it can be seen that the coil ofnon-rib comprise coil of void space that are generally indicated by thereference numeral 203, between adjacent coil 201 of rib 200 asillustrated in FIG. 15.

The coil 201 of rib 200 in FIGS. 14 and 15 comprise a plurality ofseparate coils 201 of the rib 200 that are disposed in spaced apartrelation substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis 100'E of theinner tube 100E and thereby are annular coils 201 that can be uniformlyspaced apart to define uniform coil of void space means 203 therebetweenas illustrated in FIG. 15. Of course, any desired spacing, in anyembodiment of this invention, could be provided rather than the uniformspacing that is illustrated throughout the drawings.

The coil 201 of rib 200 can be formed of any suitable material such aspolymeric material, metallic material, etc., or combinations of suitablematerials, that add rigidity to the hose construction 20E in a manner tohold the sleeve of reinforcing 27E spaced from the inner tube 100E andstill permit the hose construction 20E to be bent into the desiredshapes thereof so that the hose construction 20E is relatively flexiblefor the same reasons and for the same purpose as the hose constructions20, 20A, 20B, 20C and 20D previously set forth.

It is believed that while the inner tube 100E can be first formed andthen the coils 201 of rib 200 be formed thereon or be separately formedand subsequently disposed thereon in any suitable manner, it can be seenthat the coil 201 of rib 200 engage against the external peripheralsurface 101E of the inner tube means 100E and can actually be bondedthereto through the nature of the materials forming the rib 200 and theinner tube 100E as desired. Of course, it is believed that the coil 201of rib 200 and the inner tube 100E could be simultaneously formed ifdesired so as to form a one-piece homogeneous structure.

In any event, the outer sleeve or tube 26E of polymeric material isdisposed on the coil 201 of rib 200 in a generally straight-line mannercoil means 201 of to coil means 201 of rib means 200 so as to tend toprevent the sleeve of reinforcing material 27E from entering into thecoil of void space 203 as amount that would tend to substantially reducethe flexibility characteristics of the hose construction 20E all for thesame reasons that such tube 26, 26A, 26B, 26C and 26D was previouslyutilized for their respective hose construction.

Thus, while FIG. 15, as well as other FIGS. of the drawings, illustratesthat the outer tube, such as outer tube 26E, sags into the void space203 a certain amount, it is to be understood that the outer tube 26Ecould be almost in a true straight-line relation, such as thestraight-line relation provided by the inner tube 100E of FIG. 15relative to the coil 201 of rib 200. However, the sag is illustrated inthe drawings for the outer tube means 26E in order to show that it isbelieved that even a certain amount of penetration into the void spacemeans 203 by the reinforcing means 27E still will not reduce theflexibility characteristics of the resulting hose construction 20E toany appreciable amount.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the resulting hose construction 20E ofthis invention is substantially the same as the resulting hoseconstruction 20C of FIGS. 10 and 11 because the convoluted inner hose21C of the hose construction 20C can be described as being a ribdisposed on the inner tube 100 so as to define alternating coil 29C ofrib and coil 23C of non-rib serially along the longitudinal axis of theinner tube 100 in a like repeating pattern thereof.

While the hose construction 20E of FIGS. 14 and 15 has been described ashaving the coil 201 of rib 200 directly engaging against the externalperipheral surface 101E of the inner tube 100E, it is to be understoodthat any desired layer or layers of material could be disposedintermediate the coil 201 of rib 200 and the external peripheral surface101E of the inner tube 100E, if desired.

For example, reference is now made to FIGS. 34 and 35 wherein anotherhose construction of this invention is generally indicated by thereference numeral 20P and parts thereof similar to the hose construction20E are indicated by like reference numerals followed by the referenceletter "P".

As illustrated in FIGS. 34 and 35, the hose construction 20P issubstantially identical to the hose construction 20E previouslydescribed except that an intermediate layer or sleeve of reinforcingmaterial 204 is disposed on the external peripheral surface 101P of theinner tube 100P so as to be disposed intermediate the inner tube 100Pand the coil 201P of rib means 200P as illustrated. In addition, if thecoil 201P of rib 200P are formed of polymeric material, such polymericmaterial could exude through the reinforcement sleeve 204 so as to bonddirectly to the external peripheral surface 101P of the inner tube 100Pin substantially the same manner that the outer cover sleeve 28 exudesthrough the reinforcement layer 27 to bond to the inner tube 26 of thehose construction 20 previously set forth.

It is to be understood that while the coil 201 of rib 200, as well asthe other rib of this invention that are hereinafter illustrated anddescribed is illustrated as having a substantially circular transversecross-sectional configuration, the same may have other shapes orcombination shapes thereof such as rectangular, square, invertedtrapezoidal, triangular, elliptical, etc.

Also, while the inner tube 100E of the hose construction 20E isillustrated as being a single layer of material, it is to be understoodthat the inner tube 100E, as well as all of the other inner tubes ofthis invention previously set forth or hereinafter shown or described aswell as any of the inner corrugated hoses, such as the inner hose 21previously set forth, can be formed of a plurality of differentpolymeric materials or other materials each protecting against leakageof a different fluid.

For example, it is well known that gasoline has many different additivestherein with each additive requiring a different material to preventmigration of that additive through a containment hose or structure. Inparticular, gasoline has an additive of alcohol, an additive of ethanol,etc., in addition to the normal hydrocarbon liquid thereof so that thematerial forming the inner layer of the hose construction that is incontact with the fuel passing therethrough can have such differentmaterials either uniformly mixed therein or such inner structure couldcomprise a plurality of separate layers bonded or fused together,asdesired.

For example, reference is now made to FIG. 36 wherein an inner tube ofthis invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 100Q andcomprises three different layers 205, 206 and 207 with the understandingthat additional layers could form the inner tube 100Q with such layersbeing extruded together to form a tubular structure in substantially thesame manner as the previously described multilayered tubular hose thathas been subsequently blow molded into the corrugated structure 21B ofFIG. 9.

While it is believed that the layers 205-207 can comprise differentmaterials for the purposes previously set forth, it is believed that thelayers 205-207 can be selected from the group including nylon,polyurethane, polyvinylalcohol, polyethylene, polypropylene,ethylenevinylalcohol. In such arrangement, it is believed that a layerof polyvinylalcohol can be disposed between a layer of nylon and a layerof polyurethane, if desired.

Thus, it can be seen that one or more layers, tubes or hoses of any ofthe hose constructions of this invention can provide structure forpreventing different types of fluids from permeating therethrough withthe material of the particular structure of the hose construction ofthis invention either being homogeneously formed or in layers that arefused together as desired so as to tend to prevent the leakagetherethrough of a particular liquid, such as volatile liquids that eachcontain different additives, and, thus, from permeating to the exteriorof the resulting hose construction using such structure.

While the hose construction 20E of this invention has the coil 201 ofrib 200 disposed in an annular fashion so as to be transverse to theaxis 100'E of the inner tube 100E, it is to be understood that the coilof rib means could be disposed in a helical path as desired.

Therefore, reference is now made to FIGS. 16 and 17 wherein another hoseconstruction of this invention is generally indicated by the referencenumeral 20F and parts thereof similar to the hose construction 20Epreviously described are indicated by like reference numerals followedby the reference letter "F".

As illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17, the hose construction 20F issubstantially identical to the hose construction 20E previouslydescribed except that the coil means 200F comprises a single continuousrib 208 disposed in a helical path about the external peripheral surface101F of the inner tube 100F so as to define the coil 201F of rib 200Fhaving a helically disposed coil 202F of void space 203F also disposedin the helical path as illustrated in FIGS. 16 and 17. Nevertheless, itcan be seen that the outer tube 26F of polymeric material prevents thereinforcement sleeve 27F from entering into the void space 203F anamount that would diminish the flexibility characteristics of the hoseconstruction 20F for the reasons previously set forth.

While the rib 208 can be formed of any suitable material in the samemanner as the rib 200 previously set forth and is illustrated as being asingle continuous member, it is to be understood that the coil 200Fcould comprise a plurality of rib members each being disposed in ahelical path as desired.

Another hose construction of this invention is generally indicated bythe reference numeral 20G in FIGS. 18 and 19 and parts thereof similarto the hose construction 20E previously described are indicated by likereference numerals followed by the reference letter "E".

As illustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19, the hose construction 20G issubstantially identical to the hose construction 20E previously setforth except that coil 209 of collapsible tube 210 are disposed in thevoid space 203G that are disposed between adjacent coil 201G of ribmeans 200G as illustrated.

By forming each collapsible element or tube 210 as a thin walled hollowtubular member formed of any suitable collapsible material, such as asuitable polymeric material, and preventing the air in the opening orpassage 211 of the element 210 from creating a dashpot effect therein,such as by venting the element 210, the elements 210 will collapse whenthe hose construction 20G is being flexed or bent so that the elements210 do not appreciably reduce the flexibility characteristics of thehose construction 20G while at the same time initially help prevent thereinforcement layer 27G and outer tube 26G from entering into the voidspace 203G.

The tubular elements 210 can be bonded to the external peripheralsurface means 101G of the inner tube 100G, if desired, and the innertube 26G can be bonded to the collapsible elements 210 if desired.

While the coil 201G of rib 200G and collapsible elements 210 areannularly disposed so as to be transverse to the longitudinal axis ofthe inner tube 100G, it is to be understood that the same can bedisposed as two continuous elements respectively in helical paths, ifdesired.

For example, another hose construction of this invention is generallyindicated by the reference numeral 20H in FIGS. 20 and 21 and partsthereof similar to the hose construction 20G previously described areindicated by like reference numerals followed by the reference letter"H".

As illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21, the hose construction 20H has acontinuous relatively rigid rib 208H and a continuous collapsible thinwalled tube 212 respectively disposed in helical paths about theexternal peripheral surface 101H of the inner tube 100H to respectivelydefine coil 201H of rib 200H and coil means 209H of collapsible tubemeans 210H in the coil means 203G of void space in substantially thesame manner as set forth for the hose construction 20G previouslydescribed.

It is believed according to the teachings of this invention that ajelly-like substance can be disposed in any of the hollow elements 210or 210H, or other hollow structure as hereinafter set forth that formthe hose constructions of this invention, to tend to reduce theincidence of hose kinking when the hose is bent into a curve, suchjelly-like substance being generally indicated by the reference numeral213 in FIG. 21.

While the collapsible tube 210 and 210H has been previously described asbeing a thin wall hollow element, it is to be understood that it isbelieved that the collapsible could be other structure, as desired.

For example, reference is now made to FIGS. 22 and 23 wherein anotherhose construction of this invention is generally indicated by thereference numeral 20I and parts thereof similar to the hose construction20G previously described are indicated by like reference numeralsfollowed by the reference letter "I".

As illustrated in FIGS. 22 and 23, the hose construction 20I issubstantially the same as the hose construction 20G except that the coil209I comprises elements 214 of foam rubber or other porous and spongymaterial whereby such elements 214 will collapse between the relativelyrigid coil 201I of rib means 200I when the hose construction 20I is bentinto the desired configuration thereof.

Similarly, it can be seen that the hose construction 20J illustrated inFIGS. 24 and 25 is substantially identical to the hose construction 20Hillustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21 with the collapsible coil means 209Jcomprising a single continuous foam rubber element 215 disposed in ahelical path adjacent the helical path defined by the relatively rigidrib 208J.

While the coil of rib of the hose constructions 20E, 20F, 20G, 20H, 20Iand 20J have been illustrated and described as being a solid structure,it is to be understood that the same can be hollow if desired.

For example, another hose construction of this invention is generallyindicated by the reference numeral 20K in FIGS. 26 and 27 and partsthereof similar to the hose constructions previously described areindicated by like reference numerals followed by the reference letter"K".

As illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27, it can be seen that the hoseconstruction 20K is substantially identical to the hose construction 20Gof FIGS. 18 and 19 except that the coil 201K of rib means 200K eachcomprises a hollow element 216 of relatively rigid material disposedintermediate each pair of adjacent hollow collapsible elements 210Kwhereby the more collapsible elements 210K will collapse in betweenadjacent relatively rigid elements 216 when the hose construction 20K isbeing bent for the reasons previously set forth.

As illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 29, another hose construction of thisinvention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 20L and partsthereof similar to the hose construction 20H are indicated by likereference numerals followed by the reference letter "L".

As illustrated in FIGS. 28 and 29, it can be seen that the hoseconstruction 20L is substantially the same as the hose construction 20Hpreviously described except that the continuous rib member 208Lcomprises a hollow element 217 disposed in the helical path illustratedand defines all of the turns thereof. However, it is to be understoodthat a plurality of continuous hollow members can comprise the helicalstructure in place of the single element 208L in the same manner thatthe two elements 208H and 212 are provided for the hose construction 20Hpreviously described.

However, it is believed that when a single hollow tube 208L is utilizedand is secured to the external peripheral surface 101L of the inner tube100L and before the outer layers are disposed thereon, such subassemblyof just the inner tube 100L and coiled hollow member 208L could as asubassembly be readily collapsed into a substantially flattened shapeand this flattened shape could then be coiled into a roll for shipping.In this manner, the flattened shape could be uncoiled at the desiredlocation and have a fluid under pressure introduced into the hollowelement 208L to cause the subassembly to assume a rounded shape wherebythe additional layers could be then disposed thereon in a mannerpreviously set forth to complete the hose construction 20L of thisinvention.

Alternately, it is believed that the completed hose construction 20Lcould be flattened to a certain degree, be coiled and then subsequentlybe uncoiled and be expanded into the circular cross-sectional shapethereof by introducing a fluid under pressure into the hollow element208L.

Of course, the hose construction 20L could be formed of two helicallydisposed continuous hollow tubes, one being relatively rigid and theother being relatively collapsible, if desired.

While the inner tubes of the hose constructions of this invention havebeen each previously described as being a continuous one-piece tubularmember, it is to be understood that the same could be formed from aplurality of sections joined together or formed as a single strip thatis helically disposed, all in a manner well known in the art.

In addition, such separate sections or single helical section that formthe inner tube could also be provided with integral rib which will formthe relatively rigid rib previously set forth.

For example, another hose construction of this invention is generallyindicated by the reference numeral 20M in FIGS. 30 and 31 and partsthereof similar to the hose constructions previously described areindicated by like reference numerals followed by the reference letter"M".

As illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 31, it can be seen that the inner tube100M of the hose construction 20M is formed of a plurality of likeannular sections 218 of polymeric material each having one end 219thereof overlapped by the other end 220 of the next adjacent section 218in the manner illustrated in FIG. 31 with the end 220 of each section218 including an annular hollow member 216M which comprises a coil 201Mof rib 200M for the resulting hose construction 20M, such overlappingends 219 and 220 of the sections 218 being secured together in anysuitable manner and thereby form the inner tube 100M of the hoseconstruction 20M.

The hose construction 20N of this invention that is illustrated in FIGS.32 and 33 is formed by a single strip 218N of polymeric material beingwound in a helical manner to define a helical seam 221 where the ends219N and 220N overlap and are secured together in any suitable manner asillustrated so that the element 216N is helically disposed about thelongitudinal axis of the resulting tube 100N and comprises the coil 201Nof rib 200N for the purpose previously set forth.

As previously stated, it is believed that the various hose constructionsof this invention can have leak detector for detecting any tendency ofthe liquid being conveyed therethrough from permeating through the hoseconstruction to the exterior thereof and it is believed that such leakdetection device can detect such leakage before the leakage reaches theouter cover of the hose construction.

For example, reference is made to FIGS. 20 and 21 wherein the helicallywound-continuous hollow element 209H has the passage 211H extendingtherethrough and such passage 211H can be interconnected to a leakdetection device 250 by any suitable interconnection means 251 so thatshould the liquid being conveyed through the inner tube 100H permeatethrough the tube 100H and through the thin wall tube 209H, such leakdetection 250 can sound an alarm, etc., to indicate that leakage isoccurring in the hose construction 20H before such leakage reaches theouter cover means 28H thereof.

It is believed that such leak detection 250 of FIG. 21 can comprise apressure transducer, be a gas analyzing sampler, etc., and can also beutilized as a quality control leak test for the hose construction 20Hprior to the installation thereof in a fuel delivery system utilizingthe leak detection 250, if desired.

Alternately, it is believed that the helical coil 209H of the hoseconstruction 20H could be formed of a plastic material which is adaptedto change color when exposed to the particular liquid being conveyed bythe hose construction 20H and permeating through the inner tube 100Hthereof. For example, such plastic material could change color whenexposed to hydrocarbons, such as would be present in a fuel deliveryhose, and such change of color could be detected by fiber optic disposedin the hose construction 20H.

Also, it is believed that the helically disposed member 209H of the hoseconstruction 20H could comprise a fiber optic cable material which couldbe utilized to detect the presence of leakage of liquid through theinner tube 100H and thereby would trigger the leak detection device 250through the interconnection device 251 as it is believed that the fiberoptic cable will change the amount of light transmission in the presenceof such leakage.

Also, it is believed that the helically wound member 209H could be aconductive member, such as being formed of a conductive polymericmaterial, which in turn would form part of an electrically operated leakdetection device which would have the leaking liquid interconnect theconductive member 209H to another conductive member of the hoseconstruction 20H through the conductive path provided by the leakingliquid that would permeate through the inner hose 100H to the areabetween the inner hose 200H and the outer tubular member 26H wherebysuch electrical connection would be sensed by the leak detection device250 through the interconnection means 251.

If desired, it is believed that the other member of the electricalsensing device could comprise a wire also helically wound in the hoseconstruction 20H between the tubes 100H and 26H. Alternately, the outercover 28H could be a conductive polymeric material which would completethe circuit. Of course, two electrical wires could be helically wound onthe inner tube 100H in spaced relation relative to each other for theleak detection purposes, if desired. Alternately, an electricalconductor could be disposed in a sheath which dissolves in the presenceof the fuel or other liquid that would leak through the inner tube 100Hto trigger the leak detection means 250, if desired.

Therefore, while the leak detection device previously set forth haveeach been described in connection with the hose construction 20H ofFIGS. 20-21, it is to be understood that each such leak detection devicecould be utilized with any of the other hose constructions of thisinvention in a like manner or an obviously changed manner depending onthe particular structure of the hose construction of this invention.

In any event, it can be seen that each hose construction of thisinvention can have leak detection device forming a part thereof whichwould tend to indicate a leaking problem before the leakage of theliquid normally conveyed by the hose construction reaches the outercover structure thereof so that action could be taken to prevent anaccidental leakage of the liquid to the exterior of the hoseconstruction of this invention.

It is to be understood that the leak detection device previouslydescribed that utilizes a conductive polymeric material extends from oneend of the hose construction to the other end thereof and, therefore,could also be used as a means for dissipating static electricity fromone end of the hose construction to the other end thereof or from onearea thereof to another area thereof, as desired, in a manner and forthe reasons well known in the antistatic art. Of course, such conductivemember could also be used for transmitting electrical current for otherpurposes, as desired.

Thus, it can be seen that this invention provides a new flexible hoseconstruction and a new method of making such a flexible hoseconstruction.

While the forms and methods of this invention now preferred have beenillustrated and described as required by the Patent Statute, it is to beunderstood that other forms and method steps can be utilized and stillfall within the scope of the appended claims wherein each claim setsforth what is believed to be known in each claim prior to this inventionin the portion of each claim that is disposed before the terms "theimprovement" and sets forth what is believed to be new in each claimaccording to this invention in the portion of each claim that isdisposed after the terms "the improvement" whereby it is believed thateach claim sets forth a novel, useful and unobvious invention within thepurview of the Patent Statute.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a flexible hose construction comprising anelongated inner tube made of a flexible material and comprising afluid-resistant layer, an elongated outer tube closely encircling saidinner tube and made of a flexible material, and at least one ribextending between said inner and outer tubes; the improvement whereinsaid at least one rib is comprised of a flexible material, and said atleast one rib is disposed between said inner and outer tubes and isbonded to only one of said inner and said outer tube.
 2. The hoseconstruction of claim 1 wherein said at least one rib is a plurality ofribs.
 3. The hose construction of claim 1 wherein said at least one ribis in the form of a helical strip.
 4. The hose construction of claim 1wherein a continuous path is formed between said at least one rib andsaid outer tube for conducting fluids therethrough.
 5. The hoseconstruction of claim 1 wherein said at least one rib is an annularmember spaced longitudinally along said inner and outer tubes.